EASY WAYS TO KEEP YOUR HOME WARMER IN WINTER

There’s no reason to shiver through another winter because you can’t spend a fortune on renovations or electricity bills.

A few repairs and practical ideas can keep your house warmer when it’s icy cold outside again.

Dust wafts across the floor, a mysterious draft swirls in a bedroom corner, daylight falls through a window frame… These are all leaks that let the warmth seep out of your home and let the cold in. You can find and fix them without any handyman skills or a big budget.

SEALING DOORS AND WINDOWSWindows that won’t close tightly can be sealed with self-adhesive foam and rubber strips. You buy them in rolls and they come with double-sided tape, which makes it easy to stick them on. The strips go on the inside of the frame.

If you run your hand around the edges of a closed outside door and feel a draft, the weather stripping might need work. First do this test: Lift the door by the handle. If it moves, tighten the top hinge screws. That might solve the problem.

A draft under the door can be stopped with a door sweep – just be sure it clears the carpet inside if you have one – or sticking a weather strip on the threshold.

Even easier is making a draft snake. It can be an old towel rolled up or you can sew a pouch out of strong fabric and fill it with sand, rice, lentils or gravel (could be a fun craft project with the kids). For more insulation, hang a curtain or an old rag on the inside of the door.

We can’t all afford double-glazing but you can insulate a windowpane so less heat escapes through the glass. A window insulator kit includes clear, large plastic, which you stick to the pane and then “shrink” to fit by warming it with a heat gun or hair dryer. You can even do this with ordinary cling wrap.

Bubble wrap with large cells taped to windowpanes might look odd but will do a decent job.

TRACKING DOWN DRAFTSThe whirling cold wind in the corner must come through somewhere. Wait for a windy day, close up everything and light some incense. Hold it near suspect spots. If the smoke dances around or is sucked in any direction, you’ve found the hidden leak. Once again, silicon takes care of the problem.

Floorboards and skirting can contract, expand or move slightly with everyday use or with, say, a heavy piece of furniture against the wall. This can lead to quite large gaps. Squirt a silicon-based filler into the cracks – make sure you buy one that can tolerate movement.

A cheaper option is newspapers, rolled up for large gaps and shredded for small ones. It won’t look great but you can remove it when the weather gets warmer again. While you’re on floor level, cover bare boards with carpets, mats or rugs. A picnic blanket on the floor will make a nice playing area for kids and help retain heat.

HANDLING HUMIDITYIf winter means rain, you can fight the damp with a dehumidifier – usually a cheap plastic container with an absorbent material inside.

A humidifier will help protect your skin and sinuses where winter is dry, also since there’s little rain to wash away pollution and dust. They can be expensive, so make your own.

Add a lemon to a pot of simmering water on the stove. If you don’t want to use that much electricity, leave bowls of water around the house. Have one in rooms with electric heaters, since they dry out the air quickly.

If you’re feeling crafty, make a pebble boot tray for damp shoes so they don’t add to the cold inside. You’ll find a simple how-to for making one here.